JACKSON, Wyo. — With support from a Protect Our Water Jackson Hole (POWJH) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Education grant, Teton County, Wyoming, residents that rely on drinking water from a private well or spring are now eligible for a free comprehensive water quality test kit from Teton Conservation District (TCD).

Homeowners using water from a private drinking water well or spring are solely responsible for its testing, operation, and maintenance to ensure the water is safe to drink.

TCD has offered well water testing services to Teton County residents since 2013 as a reliable and affordable means of analyzing drinking water for contaminants. Typically, TCD sells these test kits for $50, which is significantly subsidized by Teton County property taxes. Thanks to the POWJH grant, these kits are now available at no cost to private well users for the duration of the grant funding or until funds are exhausted.

Required setbacks for drinking water wells and small wastewater facilities in the Teton County, WY land development regulations (LDRs). Image: Courtesy of POWJH and TCD

Even after the grant funding ends, TCD will continue to provide the well test kits at the subsidized rate of $50. TCD staff will continue to work with residents to offer this service and help interpret their test results, ensuring Teton County residents remain well-equipped to test their drinking water.

Let’s back up to two important questions:

  1. Where does your drinking water come from?
  2. Why should you test your private drinking water well?

In Teton County, most residents get their drinking water from groundwater. Whether that’s from the alluvial aquifer beneath the Snake River or out of bedrock seams above the valley floor, it is critical to test drinking water quality because it directly impacts human health and shows how water resources are changing.

In Teton County, private wells and springs supply water to the most rural areas. The responsibility of ensuring these sources of water are safe for consumption falls solely on their owners. These wells are the focus of this testing effort.

This is in contrast to residents who get their drinking water from a Public Water System (PWS). A PWS provides water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 service connections and/or serves an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year. A PWS may be publicly or privately owned, is regulated by the EPA and must regularly test water quality to provide a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) to system users. If you rely on a PWS, you can find more information about your drinking water quality by accessing your CCR information here. Because PWS are regularly monitored and overseen by the EPA, they don’t require additional testing and are not covered through this program.

In contrast, private wells and springs, which supply water to most rural areas, do not have this oversight. Residents obtaining their drinking water from a private well are solely responsible for ensuring the water is safe to drink and for maintaining it so it does not contribute to groundwater contamination.

When should I test my well water?

  • Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the EPA recommend it at least annually.
  • There is never a bad time to test your well. Spring and summer can be a good time because snowmelt and rain are seeping into the groundwater, increasing the likelihood of contamination from the surface. 
  • Winter is another good time to test your well because groundwater flows are at their annual minimum, which has the potential to minimize dilution and increase the concentration of contaminants.
  • You’re pregnant, nursing or have children.
  • You notice a change in water taste, color, odor or clarity.
  • You experience unexplained illnesses in your household.
  • Your (or a neighbor’s) septic system fails.
  • There was a chemical/oil spill nearby, a flood, a land disturbance or a fire.
  • There is water accumulating around your wellhead.
  • You drilled a new well or are buying or selling a property.
  • The TCD Drinking Water Quality Mapping Project shows there is a problem in your neighborhood.

What do the kits test look for? 

TCD chemical and bacteria test kits include arsenic, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, lead, pH, sodium, sulfate, total coliforms (bacteria), total dissolved solids, total hardness and lead.

How to participate in the program:

  • Well test kits are available (by appointment only) at the TCD office at 420 W. Pearl Ave, Jackson, Wyoming.
  • To schedule a 10-minute appointment with David Lee, Water Resources Specialist, fill out the online form at tetonconservation.org/well-test-kits.

To learn more, visit powjh.org/well-testing and tetonconservation.org/well-test-kits.